Documenting London squatting culture from the inside

Memories of a fading way of life — Polish artist Pawel Dziemian made a personal visual record of London’s squatting scene while he lived in a series of occupied houses around the capital.

If you believe everything you read in the tabloids, squatters are a dirty bunch of freeloaders who leave a trail of drugs and destruction in their wake. But cast your eyes back through history – particularly through the history of cities in times of crisis – and you’ll see it has often been squats that have birthed creative resurgences and movements of political resistance.

In times and places where the cities around them have been rotting and on the brink of collapse, squats have provided sanctuary for those who would otherwise have nothing. They’ve helped sow the seeds for the new creative lights to emerge from the darkness – think of the empty warehouses on the Lower East Side in the ‘70s and ’80s, when New York was threatened with bankruptcy and pounded by austerity; or Brixton and Hackney in London, where punks and anarchists built a vibrant counterculture to resist the unemployment and despair of Thatcher’s Britain during the 1980s.

Squatting is always political – and the art and creativity of resistance often goes hand in hand.

wiosna na Manor Place

Walworth 008After graduating from his art master’s in Poland, Pawel Dziemian arrived in London in August 2009 and was introduced to the squatting scene through a friend. With no plans after finishing university and a hunger to carve an alternative path, the squatters’ lifestyle immediately appealed to him. “I had no plan, no money and no job,” he remembers. “But I had a craving for life, for extreme experiences and I wanted to go beyond my comfort zone.”

Hackney 04Nunhead -013Over the next two years, Pawel lived in a series of squats, in Walworth, New Cross and across South London. Picking up his camera, he shot an intimate portrait of life in London’s many squatted houses and commercial buildings – even dropping in to document squats north of the river, in Hackney and elsewhere, too.

In the wake of the 2007 financial crisis, it was a time when people were coming together to challenge the powers that be. “Financial crisis, credit crunch, Occupy movement, going green and student protests: I think back then we felt that we could shape socio-political reality,” Pawel reflects.Walworth 005Walworth 001

This hunger for change was widespread, but particularly resonated in London’s squat communities. “Squatting was particularly important then because it provided an alternative scene and space for young creatives of all kinds,” he says. “It also helps to tackle homelessness and the lack of adequate housing, in general. The legal protections provided to squatters support the less privileged, vulnerable urban dwellers, when the state usually sides with the landlords and big capital.”

Squatting in commercial properties is still legal, but the British government criminalised residential squatting in 2012. Combined with the meteoric rise of the property market and development, which has swallowed up much of the empty housing stock, the law change has reduced the proliferation of squats in the capital – but the community is still active and squatting remains a defiant protest against inadequate housing and inequality.

Walworth 03 Walworth 011

But even before the law change, the life of a London squatter was still chaotic and unpredictable – but also exciting, sociable and creatively stimulating, which is why Pawel picked up a camera to begin documenting life around him. “There were a number of reasons I began shooting,” he says, “but above all it was a search for beauty: beauty in leftovers of consumer reality, beauty in the grime and the cold.

“Looking back, I would also say that the camera was helping to deal with the unpredictable, tough conditions of squatting life. In those two years, the lens become a kind of barrier separating myself from the subject, from the sometimes harsh surroundings. There were many times I couldn’t shoot, when I wasn’t comfortable enough to separate myself from reality – like the two times I was arrested for squatting, for example.”

queens road 02-155

Hackney 02In hindsight, Pawel feels much of the optimism of those years he spent squatting in buildings around London is gone. “After the financial crisis, many people believed that we might be able to change the world,” he reflects. “Nowadays, London and the UK appear more and more capitalistic, like New York and America, where every man is for himself and everyone has to be entrepreneur. ‘Business as usual’ won again.”

Manor Place 01 wiosna na Acre Lane

Lukasz i Lucy małpi gaj Ida na Walworth Hackney 05 Hackne Marek_Against the Wall grypa na new cross wiosna na Acre Lane 01 grill w ogrodzie new cross Franek na WalworthFind out more about Pawel Dziemian’s work.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.